Governor Greg Abbott, the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and the Texas National Guard continue to work together to secure the border, stop the smuggling of drugs, weapons and people into Texas, and prevent, detect and interdict transnational criminal behavior between ports of entry.
Since the start of Operation Lone Star, multi-agency efforts have resulted in the apprehension of 308,700 migrants and more than 20,200 criminal arrests, with more than 17,900 criminal charges reported. In the fight against fentanyl, DPS seized more than 336 million lethal doses of fentanyl during this border mission.
Texas has also bused more than 8,100 migrants to our nation’s capital since April, more than 2,900 migrants to New York City since August 5th, and more than 870 migrants to Chicago since August 31st. Mission Buses provide much-needed relief to our overcrowded border communities.
Operation Lone Star continues to fill the dangerous gaps left by the Biden administration’s failure to secure the border. Every person detained or arrested and every ounce of drugs seized would otherwise have made their way into Texas communities and the nation because of President Biden’s open border policy.
MAIN AGENTS OF OPERATION “Lone Star”.:
DPS arrested a previously deported criminal after trying to seize a soldier’s weapon
This week, DPS troopers arrested a suspected illegal alien who tried to take a gun from a Texas National Guard soldier participating in Operation Lone Star. Soldiers assisted border guards in the overnight detention of a large group of illegal immigrants in the mission. The soldier attempted to grab the suspected illegal male, who grabbed the soldier’s M-4 rifle with both hands. The soldier managed to keep his weapon and the suspect was apprehended with the help of other soldiers.
A suspect from Mexico was arrested for attempting to take a gun from a government employee and taken to the Hidalgo County Jail. Previously deported.
Read the DPS press release.
WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivares describes spike in plane smuggling attempts
DPS Lt. Chris Olivares spoke to Fox Business about a major human-smuggling bust in which smugglers tried to charter a flight to Houston with six undocumented immigrants, including a previously deported child sex abuse suspect with a warrant out of Wisconsin. He described how DPS thwarted three smuggling attempts by private jets in 30 days at various airports in the Rio Grande Valley into Houston, which is a hub for people smuggling.
“We’re starting to see an increase in the number of planes being used to smuggle illegal immigrants further into the state of Texas, and from there they’re going further inland,” Lt. Olivares said. “There’s no way to know who these people are unless you actually catch them in the act, detain them and check them out. That’s how we were able to identify the person with the warrant for sexual assault.”
The joint operation stopped the smuggling attempt, the previously deported criminal was arrested
In a joint operation with Homeland Security Investigations, the DPS Criminal Investigations Division foiled a human smuggling attempt on a plane to Weslaka as part of Operation Lone Star. On Saturday morning, DPS Special Agents observed several vehicles arrive at Mid Valley Airport and drop off seven people who had boarded a Raytheron aircraft. Six illegal immigrants and one US citizen who coordinated the smuggling attempt to Houston were identified.
The illegal immigrants — four men and two women from El Salvador and Mexico — had fake Texas IDs. They were sent to the border service. Further investigation revealed that one of the men was a previously deported felon wanted in Wisconsin for sexually abusing a child.
WATCH: ‘Faulkner Focus’ host witnesses border chaos with DPS jet
Fox News host Harris Faulkner visited Eagle Pass to witness the ongoing chaos caused by President Biden’s open border policy. DPS planes tracked a group of about 10 illegal immigrants and coordinated with border guards on the ground. Faulkner also spoke with a Border Patrol agent who expressed frustration that agents can only process illegal immigrants at their stations and processing centers and not respond effectively to the influx.
“This [presidential] the administration is releasing them into the territory of the United States,” said the DPS pilot. “They’re being let into Texas and we’re stunned.”
WATCH: The Texas National Guard is making a positive impact on businesses on the border
Texas National Guard soldiers who patrol the border day and night help Brownsville residents and businesses. One local business owner says that before soldiers began patrolling the area where his auto repair shop and family ranch are located, illegal immigrants were constantly trespassing on his property, causing extensive damage.
“It’s helped a lot, so hopefully it will continue to help,” said the local business owner.
WATCH: DPS Lt. Olivares discusses migrant arrivals in sanctuary cities
DPS Lt. Chris Olivares joined Fox News on “Your World” to discuss Governor Abbott’s mission to move migrants to sanctuary cities and the need for strong action from President Biden to address the current crisis. He described the surge of illegal immigrants El Paso is currently experiencing, with about 1,500 people crossing the border every day and forced to sleep in tents on the streets because the city lacks the resources to accommodate the influx.
“This crisis has not slowed down at all,” Lt. Olivares said. “These smaller border communities just don’t have the capacity to handle the flow of migrants coming in. These sanctuary cities, which have advertised themselves as welcoming to migrants, have the same resources as big cities. The hypocrisy of the situation just doesn’t make sense.”
The Texas National Guard is fighting rising crime on the border
Texas National Guard soldiers assisted Border Patrol agents in apprehending five criminals who attempted to evade capture after illegally crossing the Rio Grande River near La Jolla on Monday. According to soldiers patrolling the area, over the past week there has been a noticeable increase in the number of illegal crossings and subsequent detentions. Troopers are also noticing an increase in the number of criminals evading arrest.
“We had a total of 109 people that we apprehended, and over half were apprehended on criminal charges,” said Staff Sgt. Juan Aldano, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion, 141st Infantry. “Last night we received a call from a Border Patrol agent who was trying to detain a militant criminal. We rushed there, surrounded him and were able to detain him safely.”
WATCH: DPS discovers 10 illegal immigrants in van during traffic stop
DPS officers participating in Operation Lone Star discovered 10 illegal immigrants, including a child, inside a Penske van during a traffic stop in Keene County. A criminal case was opened against the driver for illegal transportation of people, and all 10 illegals were sent to the border service.
DPS recovered a kidnapped migrant child during Operation Stop Lone Star.
Military DPS discovered a kidnapped migrant child during an Operation Lone Star traffic stop in El Paso two weeks ago. The 18-month-old was in poor health and was taken to a hospital for treatment before being released to Child Protective Services while authorities identified him and tried to locate his family. This week, DPS agents received information from Florida about a mother whose child was being held for ransom.
Both the 45-year-old driver of the car and the teenager who was in the car are charged with people smuggling and aggravated kidnapping.
WATCH: DPS troopers find 11 illegal immigrants hiding in truck in Del Rio
Military DPS during Operation Lone Star found 11 illegal immigrants hiding in a truck during a stop in Del Rio. A criminal case was filed against the driver for illegal transportation of people, and all 11 illegals were sent to the border service.
